84 Lumber Immigration Ad
The hardware company 84 Lumber released a Super Bowl ad about immigration that kicked off a whirlwind of debate on social media. The Fox network reportedly asked 84 Lumber to edit the ad before it could be broadcast during the Super Bowl. The final scene was ultimately cut.
Much of the conflict stems from the ambiguity of the ads, which has two versions: a 90-second ad that aired on the Super Bowl, and the six-minute uncut version posted on their website.
Check out the televised version below:
In the 90-second commercial, the ad seems to gently criticize President Donald Trump‘s immigration ban. This version shows a mother and her daughter making a treacherous journey to the border of the U.S., highlighting immigration’s tough realities. At the end of the video, it directs viewers to 84 Lumber’s website for the full version, which tells a vastly different story.
In the uncut version, the mother and daughter end up encountering a wall at the border to the U.S. The mother breaks down in tears, but then spots an opening in the wall in the form of a huge door. The pair push it open and run through. The film then declares, “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
The outrage from some on social media include accusations that the company is supporting illegal immigration. One Twitter user declared that 84 Lumber had “just committed corporate suicide” and vowed to cancel an order from the company.
Others, however, commended the company for the message.
“Good for you. Courage,” one Facebook user commented on the uncut version.
The company tried to clear up the confusion on Twitter.
“Pres Trump said there should be a ‘big, beautiful door in the wall so people can enter legally.’ We couldn’t agree more,” the company tweeted.
“We don’t condone illegal immigration. Our story is symbolic of a journey that ends with becoming legal US citizens,” 84 Lumber added in another tweet.
The full ad has now been “banned from broadcast,” after setting off a firestorm of publicity and conversation on social media.
This ad comes following the national dispute over Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries. A federal judge has recently issued a restraining order lifting the ban.
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